In The Moonlight
by Vee-sempai
Summary: The spell of the moonlight can make even a genius into a fool. ShikamaruHinata


Her silhouette in the moonlight was as beautiful as he'd ever really believed a woman's could be. Maybe another man wouldn't think so- her slender legs seemed a little disproportionate to her full hips, and the modest curve of her breast was thin next to any number of other girls. Her face reminded him more of a mouse than a goddess, and her hair was more sensible than luxurious. It was probably all those imperfections that made all the others pass her over. SHe was a nice girl, a sweet girl, a loyal and reliable girl, but not a hot girl.  
  
But it was easy for him to want her- especially here, in the spell of the moonlight. Maybe it was because he was the same.. a smart guy, a reliable guy,  
the kind of guy you wouldn't mind watching your back, but no sex symbol. But he only thought about it that way when she wasn't around, when she was out of his sight.  
When she was here, just on the other side of the room against the window he looked out when he ate his breakfast, he barely thought at all.  
  
She really made him stupid... what a pain in the ass.  
  
He'd thought, and rightfully so, that it would be a pain to work for the Hyuuga Main House. Some sort of internal unrest from the Branch House, supposedly,  
and Hiashi had wanted some insurance. Being the pragmatic guy he was, he would've turned it down if it weren't for the exorbitant pay the Hyuuga were offering. That kind of money bought a lot of days off.  
  
He'd watched Hinata's fight at the Chuunin exam, of course, so it wasn't like she was a complete mystery. Their classes together were of no use, considering he'd slept through most of them, but he'd still gone into the job with the feeling he had a handle on who she was. That handle hadn't been wrong- Nara Shikamaru rarely was- but it was like the difference between watching Go and playing a game. The experiences themselves were pretty much the same, but somehow playing made you really feel, really understand.  
  
So, extrapolating and pithy metaphors aside, he'd fallen in love with Hyuuga Hinata. She wasn't like all the other girls he'd known. Where Ino or Sakura would demand as an inalienable right, she would humbly request. Where they would blame, she would defer responsiblity. And yet, where they would fight and fight until they crumbled, she would stand quiet and resolute, a satin that was somehow stronger than steel. She was a girl she could respect as an equal, yet still one who would allow herself to need him.  
  
And she looked like silver in the moonlight.  
  
Shikamaru scratched at the back of his neck, smothering a heavy sigh. Maybe it had been stupid to bring her here after the bombing at the Main House, but it was all he could think of. He'd been worried about keeping her safe from another attack- he'd never even remembered that it would mean having to be a gentleman even if it absolutely killed him. He'd been holding up well so far- he'd even offered her his room, so she wouldn't have to sleep on the couch. She'd refused, just like he'd expected her to, but it was obvious that the offer had meant a lot to her.  
  
She'd smiled, and blushed.  
  
There was no trace of that smile on her lips now, only a tight pensive frown, a few lines furrowed between her brows. Her shoulders were drawn up, the narrow bones making ripples in the thin nightshirt his mother had lent her. He really wasn't surprised to see her so worried- she'd just survived an explosion the size of half the Hyuuga mansion, and on top of that, had to deal with the near-certain reality that her treasured cousin was the one behind it all. It was enough to make him a little upset, and hell, he didn't care one way or another about Neji.  
  
It was Hinata he cared about, and he hated to see her hurt like this.  
  
"Hey... Hinata...?" he said quietly, taking a step into the kitchen. "You shouldn't be up this late. You've had a long day, huh...?"  
  
"E-eh?" She spun around, a hand flying up to her lips in surprise. Her face softened after a moment, the fear that had become a reflex easing at the sight of him. "Oh... Oh, Shikamaru-kun... I was just... anou..."  
  
"Just staring out the window." There was no bite to his tone, just a wry understanding. He'd been her de facto bodyguard for only a month or so, but she hadn't hid herself from him. Really the opposite... the moment he'd shown the tiniest bit of compassion for her, she'd been an open book to him. "Hinata... go to bed. You're safe here, y'know."  
  
"I know..." she smiled sheepishly. "I understand, Shikamaru-kun... It's only that I... I..."  
  
"You're scared."  
  
Her lips trembled as she tried to pull them into another smile, soft white eyes casting aside to gaze at the floor. "I... I suppose..."  
  
He didn't know how he even had gotten close enough to her to lay a hand on her shoulder, let alone where he got the gumption up to do so. She was warm under his touch, the thin fabric of the nightgown not containing the heat of her skin. She shivered, under his hand, the same shy quiver as a young deer that was seeking its first handful of feed. He almost pulled back, but instead firmed his grip. Hinata was poised for flight, even if she didn't realize it; she was ready to turn from him before she became a burden, a waste of his time. A disappointment.  
  
"Hinata, it's my job to look after you," he reminded, a little more curtly than he'd intended. "Your house getting blown away is pretty damn scary, sure, but you're gonna be safe. I'll make sure of that."  
  
"I know... I'm sorry." Hinata inclined her head almost reflexively, shoulders bowing. There was so much meaning wrapped up in those words, so much apology and shame. I'm sorry for doubting you, I'm sorry for being a burden. I'm sorry for existing in your space. I'm sorry for existing, period. Shikamaru's lip twitched;  
almost a frown, almost a wry smile.  
  
"Stop apologizing all the time."  
  
"Oh, I'm- eheh." Her lips clamped back the apology for that apology, her brow furrowing in embarassed consternation. He couldn't help but laugh, and she followed suit, blushing pink.  
  
When the merriment subsided, they were left grinning foolishly into each other's faces, his hand squeezing her thin shoulder. It was stupid. It was painfully, obviously stupid, it was something anyone would look at and ridicule, but it made him so damn happy just to be here with her like this. Just standing here with her near him, with her happy and smiling, even at her own silliness...  
  
It was enough.  
  
"Shikamaru-kun... why are you awake?" Hinata broke the warm silence, her head cocking slightly. "Did you need something? I can make you some tea, if you'd like... were you hungry?"  
  
"I was... I was just worried about you," he admitted grudgingly. "Wanted to see if you were sleeping okay..." he quirked half a grin. "Turns out you weren't,  
just like I expected."  
  
Hinata reddened. "I've had a lot to think about," she said apologetically. "I'm very grateful for your hospitality, it's just... I don't think I could sleep anywhere."  
  
"You want me to leave you alone?" It felt awkward leaving his hand on her shoulder like he was, touching her for no apparent reason, but he wasn't about to back away. Not until he had to, anyway. Her warmth through the wispy, overlarge nightshirt was just this side of intoxicating, the velvet of her skin tantalizingly out of reach...  
  
"Oh! Oh, no, not at all!" Her doe eyes flew open, the unmarred white expanse wide with surprise. "No, Shikamaru-kun, I'm glad you're here, I... I was lonely."  
The shy smile that accompanied her words was genuine. "I'm always glad when you're here."  
  
"Are you gonna sleep at all tonight?" he teased, squeezing her shoulder, his thumb tracing furtively along the end of her collarbone. "Even the deer are asleep, Hinata, and they haven't had quite the day you have."  
  
"Am I keeping you up?" There was less apology and more mischief in her voice now, the full lips obviously trying to hide a smile. "I'm sure I could try to go to sleep if I'm being a bother..."  
  
"Hinata..." he sighed theatrically. She giggled sweetly, favoring him with a dazzling smile.  
  
Then, with no warning or explanation, Hinata flung herself against his chest, arms latching tightly around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. Shikamaru staggered, but managed to catch himself against the kitchen table before her sudden weight bowled him over. His hands, once so innnocently resting in his pocket and on her shoulder, fell naturally to rest against her waist. Well, at least they did until he yanked them away like they were on fire, relocating them to her upper back. Much more respectful.  
  
"Shikamaru-kun, I..." Her voice was muffled against his shirt. "I... well... thank you."  
  
"For?" Her heart was racing, thudding powerfully through her ribs and echoing into the palms of his hands.  
  
"Taking care of me. Protecting me. Being so nice to me." Her arms tightened around his neck "Making me laugh, even now... all these years, in the same village, the same school, the same classes, the same exams, and I never knew what a wonderful man you were!"  
  
"Hinata... It was a hard choice between closing his eyes in bliss like any teenaged boy in love and laughing incredulously like the bitter, jaded smartass he was. "Hinata, I'm not too sure what Nara Shikamaru you've been talking to when I'm not looking, but pretty much anyone in Konoha will tell you I'm not that much of a catch."  
  
"That's not true." Her muffled voice was stubborn, convinced. "You're brilliant, you're funny, you're loyal, you're caring-"  
  
"I'm a smartass, sarcastic, too lazy to make new friends, and I'm only nice to people who're nice to me. Which is basically you and Chouji." It was hard not to wrap his arms around her back, to hold her closer, but-  
  
"The moment he brought her in, he could never let her go again.  
  
"Well, that's how you see it," she murmured against his shoulder. "I see the same person you do, and I think he's absolutely wonderul."  
  
"...Your taste in people sucks."  
  
He could feel her smile, but it was true. Not that he was particularly down on himself or anything, but throwing him into the mix of the other guys she'd been fond of- a hyperactive dropout she barely knew, an emotionally abusive cousin, and, well... him. Not exactly the three Musketeers.  
  
Hinata pushed closer into his chest, and he finally conceded to her obvious wish, letting his arms slide lower to embrace her thin waist. His hands still shook a little with apprehension, a lump persisting in his throat. Shikamaru could practically feel his heart and his hormones trying to outrace each other, each struggling for dominance in a power play that left him rather helpless; helpless to the agonizing swell of emotion, helpless to the feel of her so soft and willing beneath his hands...  
  
The tips of her fingers were playing through the loose strands at the nape of his neck, and when he shivered at the glancing caresses, she lifted her face and smiled.  
Just smiled, so warmly, but with such an underlying torrent of longing- that painful aching wish that wreaked havoc with his sensibility, that vulnerablility that made him a fool.  
  
And like a fool, he kissed her. He pulled her tightly to his chest, swallowing her tiny gasp, kissing her with all the desperate fervor he'd been shoving to the back of his brain for what seemed like forever. To his relief, it was no more than a moment before she melted into his unsure touch, satin lips moving eagerly into his own. It was as if she had been waiting for it; just waiting patiently until he'd gotten his courage up. Like she'd always been ready.  
  
Shikamaru tightened the grip of his hands on her thin waist, the nightshirt bunching up under the drag of his hands. The prickle that danced along the back of his neck was made of both guilt and excitement- his mother had only given her that shirt to sleep in, so each and every tiny bit of fabric he caught up beneath his palms meant more and more ivory thigh exposed to possible view, and it was only natural for a teenaged boy to think like this, but it was also perfectly natural for a teenaged girl to regard that as perverse and rude if what Ino said about things had any credence, not that it usually did, but she seemed to know more about girls than he did, being one and all, and his thoughts were falling all over each other as his heart beat faster and faster and oh Jesus Christ what was Hinata doing to him?!  
  
During his mental duel with puberty, one of her small hands had eased its way underneath the front of his shirt, laying flat and cool against his stomach.  
Her lips left his, though only by a finger's breadth, the soft puffs of air as she caught her breath tickling at his nose and chin. Shikamaru stared into her half-lidded milky eyes, jaw hanging slightly as her fingertips kneaded his abdomen, thumb running daringly underneath the waistband of his old pajama pants. Her gaze never broke with his, even as her cheeks reddened in shyness, and now the jolts of electricity running along his spine were of an entirely different nature.  
  
No matter how well he thought he knew her, there was always another surprise waiting.  
  
Shikamaru's stomach flipped, and he carefully eased a hand lower on her hip, releasing his grip on the flimsy white shirt in favor of imitating her suggestion, sliding his palm hesitantly along the night-cool skin of her thigh, then the soft cotton of her panties, and finally allowing it to settle against the velvety warmth of her stomach. She trembled under his touch, but there was no hint of reproach or fear in her eyes, only a gentle acceptance carried along by a barely-hidden desire.  
  
Why his throat was so dry, he didn't know, but the words that left his mouth were barely-audible croaks. "Hinata- Hinata, I-"  
  
She cut him off with a soft kiss, her fingertips tracing the invisible lines of the coiling muscles in his stomach. The sound that raised from his throat was almost a hiss, almost a sigh, his hips jerking forward involuntarily. It was too gentle, but too close... every touch echoed through every nerve, curling around his senses, wrapping him in a heady frustration. It was all he could do to keep from grabbing her wrist and dragging her hand to where he wanted it, where the growing ache was beginning to throb, but to force her... he'd never forgive himself.  
  
So he took out his frustration on her lips, her cheek, her chin, her neck, his heart pumping as she shivered and gripped him tighter. The velvet of her bare stomach rippled under his thumb as she drank in air, her back arching gracefully, trapping his fingers between their bodies even as hers traced lower, teasing shyly at his straining erection. The sound that shuddered from his lungs was barely recognizable as human, every muscle in his thighs clenching painfully. Her chest heaved in a soft sigh of triumph, fingers curling together and dragging along the shivering length with more and more confidence. His knees were buckling,  
shoulders tensing, and he buried his face in her neck, biting his lip with enough of a vengance to taste blood. Her other hand caught his, gently drawing his slack palm from her stomach, tracing along the line of her ribs, and bringing it to the curve of her left breast, folding her small hand over the back of his.  
  
"Hinata..." he mumbled, daring to meet her eyes. His fingers betrayed him, stroking hungrily over the soft flesh, his palm rolling against the puckering stiffness in the center. Her gaze didn't break his, even as her lips parted in a soft gasp, her cheeks reddening. Her own hand clenched on him, in some form of retribution that wasn't a punishment at all, and it felt like the world was melting away. Melting away into her fingers on him, her softness beneath his hand, her hair brushing his cheek as his mouth found her ear, her cheek lifting in a smile as she pulled him to the kitchen table. His free hand fell to balance him, her knee easing between his hip and his arm as she sat on the edge of the table that he had eaten breakfast at since he was a kid. He could barely even think to protest when her hand drew back from its tender ministrations in favor of hooking a finger underneath each side of the pants and drawing them down his thighs.  
  
Her skin was ivory and silver shadows in the moonlight, her hair ruffling as he lifted the nightshirt over her head. Shikamaru let his head fall to nestle between her breasts, unable to look her in the eye as he pulled her last scrap of clothing past her knees. He could feel her fingers stroking through his hair,  
letting the tie fall out, tracing the arch of his neck with the gentleness of a butterfly, so tender and full of love that he shook. Hinata's knees were firm on his hips, nudging him closer, body sliding a few smooth inches across the surface of the table. One hand found his chin against her chest, lifting his face, pressing kisses that both soothed and burned to his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, his closed eyes. Maybe she meant to distract him, to comfort him, but the moment her other hand drifted down his chest to linger on his aching length, it was almost all he could feel. His rough panting echoed in the stillness of the room, their thudding heartbeats the only life in the night, the entirety of his world narrowing to her lips on his face and the slick heat her hand was gently easing him into.  
  
The sharp whimper that tore from her lips sent unpleasant shocks along his spine, and he froze, struggling against the waves of heat swelling through his chest. She was flexing around him, breathing slowly, eyes squeezed shut in what had to be discomfort, and yet her lips were parted in both a soft moan and a smile as she moved further against him. He remained still, chest heaving, knees weak, trying desperately to ignore the throbbing ache until she gave some sort of sign, some motion, something, anything to let him know it was okay...  
  
"Now," she whispered firmly.  
  
Shikamaru shuddered and obeyed, rocking his hips as slowly and carefully as he could stand, choking on his own breath and leaning hard against the table.  
Hinata sighed, a hand sliding into his hair, her fingers massaging his scalp in slow, hard circles. He felt a long shiver sweep her body as he eased back, then to the hilt, and then back... Hinata moved with him, sighing and gasping into his hair, and she was shuddering and grasping him close, and he could dimly hear her whispering his name with a hitching cry of pleasure...  
  
And the world was overflowing with moonlight and fire. 


End file.
